Volta Restaurant & Bar – Review

Volta Barcelona is a Mediterranean restaurant in the heart of El Born, inside the Borneta hotel. It takes its name from the vaults of the Porxos de Fontseré arches outside and from voltar, the Catalan idea of wandering at an easy pace, and both meanings fit. The cooking is by Executive Chef Andrea De Benedictis and his team, including Chef Riccardo Ronzi, who work with Barcelona’s produce over an open flame, creating generous, seasonal dishes rooted in Italian tradition and made for sharing. Start with a drink on the 180 roof terrace, then come down to eat. It will surely be one of your best evenings out in El Born.

The building sets the mood. You come in through a welcoming reception of the Borneta hotel and move through open plan spaces that flow into one another, a library lounge, then the bar, then the restaurant. Elegant, relaxed, with a sophisticated urban vibe. The restaurant also spills out onto the street terrace under the iconic Porxos de Fontseré arches.

I recommend starting the evening on the roof terrace, with a cocktail accompanied by the DJ and panoramic city views over the treetops.

Downstairs the bar is relaxed and full of locals. People sit around the tables, reading, chatting, enjoying the DJ, an early evening crowd, some with a dachshund or a pug settled at their feet. It is relaxed and very El Born.

We began with aperitivos at the bar, as we started our leisurely meander through the menu. The Volta parmigiana, with aubergine cream, confit tomato mayonnaise and pesto, was excellent, alongside a board of cold cuts and cheeses and a bowl of tasty Andalusian olives. A crisp glass of Godello was the perfect choice. The kitchen keeps close ties with small Catalan producers, cheesemakers and winemakers, and you taste it.

Among the pasta dishes, the risotto alla Norma was particularly good, and the seasonal ravioli came filled with pulled beef. Then the Black Angus ribeye, cooked over the flame and served with new potatoes and Padrón peppers, its chimichurri a lighter, Mediterranean take on the Argentine original. To finish, the house ice cream, made in Barcelona to the kitchen’s own recipes and found nowhere else.

The kitchen is open to the restaurant, so you can watch it all happen, and the chef came over to the table during the meal, which was a welcoming touch.

The restaurant is dressed with small potted palms and furnished with bare wooden or marble and leather-upholstered chairs. It is nicely done, urban and Mediterranean, and a perfect fit for the neighbourhood. As the evening progresses, the restaurant and bar get lively, and the evening has a sense of occasion. I could not fault Volta, a wonderful discovery.

The Luxury Editor dined as a guest of Volta at Borneta.